Yahoo Autos Ariel's 282-HP E-Nomad Buggy EV Concept Weighs Just 1975 Pounds
Ariel, maker of the bare-bones Atom sports car, has electrified its all-terrain buggy with the E-Nomad concept.
The E-Nomad uses a 282-hp rear-mounted electric motor and weighs only 1975 pounds.
The 41.0-kWh battery is said to provide up to 150 miles of range.
Fans of lightweight, back-to-basics sports cars will be well aware of the Ariel Motor Company. Since 2000 Ariel has produced the Atom, combining a variety of rev-happy engines with manual gearboxes and the bare minimum of bodywork. Ariel followed up the Atom in 2015 with the Nomad, an off-road interpretation of the same philosophy. Now Ariel has unveiled the e-Nomad concept, an electric version of its all-terrain buggy that is said to preview "just a small part of Ariel’s future."
The e-Nomad is based on the Nomad 2, but the bodywork looks slightly less skeletal than the gas-powered Nomad. Reworked panels help the air pass over the car efficiently, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in drag. Thanks to bodywork constructed from natural flax fibers, the e-Nomad is said to weigh only 1975 pounds. The panels are reinforced by "ribs" made from a bio-composite natural fiber, which Ariel says is even lighter than carbon fiber and produces 73 percent less carbon dioxide in the manufacturing process.
At the rear of the e-Nomad sits a single electric motor pushing 282 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through a single-speed gearbox. The motor, gearbox, and inverter are all packaged together and weigh just 203 pounds combined. The e-Nomad also features a limited-slip differential, ABS, and regenerative braking. Ariel says the e-Nomad will zip to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.
The motor is fed by a 450-volt 41.0-kWh lithium-ion battery built specifically for the e-Nomad by a company called Rockfort Engineering. The battery weighs just 661 pounds and lives behind the cockpit. A front-mounted, high-capacity radiator helps cool the battery while a 5-kW internal high-voltage heater can preheat the pack. Ariel claims the e-Nomad has a range of 150 miles and can charge from 20 to 80 percent in less than 25 minutes on a DC fast-charger.
Ariel says that after it subjects the e-Nomad to its normal testing procedures, it will be monitoring customer feedback and may decide to sell it alongside the internal-combustion Nomad. Regardless of the powertrain, the doorless Nomad looks like an absolute riot. But it remains unclear if a silent Nomad without a manual gearbox will still scratch the itch for Ariel's undoubtedly hardcore clientele.
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